RISE ABOVE 1989 - GORILLA BISCUITS

Probably amongst many other memories, the two days we played with Gorilla Biscuits are really sticky in my head. I'll remember how siked and nervous everyone in the band was when they asked us to play a show in Hengelo (NL) with GB. I think Rise Above only played one local show and we had our first 7" on Punk Etc records (Zyklome A etc...). It even got better when BZN productions (The Pits) organised a show in the Limelight, this was/is a famous place in our hometown Kortrijk...knowing that back in the early 80's some really famous punkacts played there, like Killing Joke, Einstuerzende Neubauten.... A good to known fact is also that Henry Rollins 'LifeTime' release has 4 live tracks from '87 recorded in Kortrijk . A real bummer was that JUDGE cancelled the tour, but Gorilla Biscuits came over to Europe.

September 23 1989 (Hengelo-Metropool-NL)

Hengelo (Metropool), the place is pretty legendary as well. (Blindfold recorded the first 7" in the Metropool studio in 91', so did Nations On Fire)...
I'll remember as the road being endless. I had never been out of the country.
Our driver was David who would become the singer of Nations On Fire few years later, his van was the tour van of The Scraps (French punk band), it looked and smelled punk. UxJ and Fred (OG Rise Above singer) joined as roadies.
We had a meet and greet with the Biscuits and I believe it was the GB 7" line-up With Rise Above we only had a handful of own songs and filled the set with coversongs, Slapshot, Dag Nasty, Youth Of Today and while we brought our set, the Biscuits where standing on side of the stage, it was probably hilarious but the crowd was into it and it was definitely an unforgetable experience.

Original GORILLA BISCUITS/RISE ABOVE POSTER on the left. for the Hengelo show...hence the fact that I hardly throw away stuff, and have my place packed with souvenirs. :)

RISE ABOVE 'Hengelo'.

September 24 1989 (Kortrijk-Limelight-BE)

We took off early in the morning direction Kortrijk and playing in our hometown was an awesome feel...that day we would have our first shirts, they where home-screenprinted by a friend and where lousy quality, I even remember we sold 'em out at the show (25 made). PROFOUND(NL) replaced Judge. The Limelight was pretty filled-up...I'll remember that there where a lot of kids x'ed up and it was definitely awesome.

OG GORILLA BISCUITS 'Kortrijk' Poster. This one is also pictured in the All Ages - Reflections On Straight Edge book. (Revelation records)





FIRST R.A shirt